Voices of the Dead
by skitzafrat
Summary: Naru and his team have been asked to investigate a haunted island. However, things are not what they seem, and the members of SPR find themselves trapped by an enemy far more dangerous than ghosts.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic so bare with me hehe o_o

Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt...

* * *

The waves splashed against the side of the boat as it raced through the water. Mai stood at the bow, letting the wind blow through her hair as she watched the island grow larger. Akua Island, as the mainlanders called it, was their destination, sitting several miles off the coast of Japan. The name Akua itself meant _ghost_… the perfect setting for a group of paranormal researchers. As Mai looked out at the island, she couldn't help but feel slightly anxious. There was something about this island that didn't feel right… something ominous.

_That's what we're here for I guess,_ she thought to herself.

She thought back to two days ago, when their current client had first entered the SPR office. Mai had just finished her filing for the day when the door opened and in walked a man who looked to be in his late 30s. He introduced himself as Norio Takumi and asked to speak with the man in charge. Mai nodded, walked to Naru's office, and knocked on the door.

"Naru, there's someone here who would like to speak with you," she said as she opened the door.

Naru, who had been reading over some old case files, looked up as Mai entered and nodded at her, silently telling her that he'd be out shortly. Mai then left and went to get Lin.

As soon as they were gathered in the main office, after the introductions and Mai had made some tea, Norio-san began his story.

"I live on an island, about 50 miles off the coast. It's relatively small, but it's very old. For generations the native people have lived there, going back hundreds of years. It is a very peaceful island, or it was, until recently. We have reason to believe that there are ghosts on the island. At first the strange happenings were small and infrequent. Just some shaking of the houses in the village, and a few of the villagers have reported feeling hands grab their arms or legs. Lately, however, things have become more… violent. At times during the night we'll wake up to hear piercing screams and when we run to find the source all we find is a large pool of blood, but by morning it's gone. Those that have felt themselves being grabbed are now ending up with large bruises, some have even been pushed into buildings or thrown down hills. There has also been strange occurrences of writing on the walls in what looks to be blood, mostly saying things like 'get out' or 'leave or die'. The most horrifying part, however, is the people that have gone missing. Many people come to the island to visit, only to vanish seemingly into thin air. In some cases bodies have turned up, mutilated and unidentifiable. Please, you must help us!"

Silence filled the room after Norio-san finished speaking. After a moment, Naru inclined his head toward the man saying, "Alright, we shall take the case. Please have a place for my team to set up a base in, and also a place to stay. Mai, call the others and tell them we have a case. We will arrive in two days."

"Sure thing Naru!" came her reply.

With that, Naru stood and retreated back into his office. Lin also had silently slipped back into his office, leaving Mai alone with Norio-san. For a brief second, Mai thought she saw something different about his eyes as he looked at her, but it passed so fast that she ignored it.

"Thank you very much for your help. I will see you all two days from now," he said as he bowed and turned to leave.

Mai breathed a sigh of relief after he was gone. She couldn't shake that ominous feeling she got whenever he looked at her. As she brushed those thoughts from her mind, she called the rest of the team and informed them of the case.

And now here they were, on their way to this mysterious island full of strange happenings. In a way Mai thought this case might be interesting. She might get to spend more time with Naru. She still loved him of course, even though he rejected her confession when he left for England to bury his twin brother Gene. Maybe, just maybe, he would give her another chance now that he was back in Japan. However, as of right now, he acted as if nothing had occurred between the two. Mai was actually surprised that Naru had even agreed to take this case. He has accepted very few cases since he came back from England, despite his claim that his return to Japan had to do with the "vast amount of paranormal activity".

Mai was brought out of her reverie as the boat began to decrease in speed.

"We're here," she heard Bou-san say.

Mai turned around to see the rest of the team gathered, looking out at the island. The boat continued to slow until it came to a stop by a rather worn out looking dock. A dirt path led from the dock into the trees heading to what Mai could only assume was the village. The team exited the boat and unloaded what little equipment they brought with them. The driver of the boat seemed in a hurry to leave and as they stood on the shore watching the boat race away across the water, Mai couldn't help but feel that they were watching their last hope of escape disappear into the distance.

* * *

"That was the easiest unloading we've had to do yet!" exclaimed Bou-san as he picked up a couple of battery operated cameras. "I wish all our cases started out this easy."

"You do know that it's only because there is no electricity on the island that we have so little equipment, right?" replied Ayako.

"Yeah, yeah," said Bou-san, waving his hands nonchalantly as Mai giggled. "You're just jealous because you don't get to see me carrying all those heavy boxes this time."

SMACK!

"OW! What was that for?!" yelled Bou-san holding his head where Ayako had just wacked him.

The only answer he received was a muffled "hmph" from the women as she began walking away.

Bou-san turned to Mai, who couldn't restrain her laughing, and groaned, "This is going to be a long case."

"If you two are finished, we have a job to do," came a voice from behind. Mai and Bou-san turned around to meet the glare of a certain narcissist. "Pick up the rest of the equipment and let's get moving. We need to get to the village _before_ night falls," he said as he brushed past them and started up the path.

"Yup," agreed Mai. "It's going to be a very long case." And with that they followed after Naru into the woods.

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Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Don't worry, the story gets better XD

R&R please...

Update soon (^_^)


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for the reviews!

Here's the second chapter (:

Enjoy!

* * *

They arrived in the village just before sunset. It was a good thing they didn't have much equipment to carry because the walk from the dock to the village took over an hour. The village itself was nestled in a clearing with the surrounding forest acting as a sort of barrier. It was a small village and the even smaller houses, which were more like huts, were very simple looking, made of wood and other resources found on the island. The huts were all lined up on either side of what would be the main path, with a slightly larger building at the head.

"Wow," gasped Mai as she took in the sight. "It's so… primitive."

"Yes, these people have been living without modern luxuries for generations."

"Norio-san!" Mai almost screamed as the man seemed to appear out of nowhere.

The man smirked at Mai before saying, "I'm sorry if I startled you. That was not my intention."

Before Mai could respond, Naru cut in as he glared at the man, "If you wouldn't mind, could you show us where we will be staying so we can set up base before the sun completely sets?"

Norio, who still had his eyes on Mai, turned to Naru and replied, "Of course, Shibuya-san. Right this way."

The team followed him up the main path.

"It's so quiet," remarked John.

"I know what you mean. I haven't seen a single person since we arrived," said Bou-san

"The villagers are too afraid to be outside after dark. They fear the spirits, so they stay indoors as much as possible," came Norio-san's reply.

He then stopped at one of the huts close to the larger building and turned to the team. "This is one of the larger houses. You can set up base here, and there should be enough room for your people to stay. If not I can ask for a larger house if you'd prefer."

"Thank you. This will do just fine," said Lin, who had been silent until now.

"I'll leave you to get settled," Norio said as the team watched him walk back the way they had come.

"That man gives me the creeps," stated Ayako.

"You said it," agreed Mai.

"Let's go," spoke Naru. "Set up base before turning in and we will continue our investigation in the morning."

The rest of the team groaned and shuffled inside. Mai, however, noticed someone was missing. She turned around to see Masako standing at the entrance.

"Masako are you alright?" she asked.

"I sense a presence in the village." Masako said, with the sleeve of here kimono covering her mouth. "There's more than one spirit. It's strange though, I can't sense anything evil about them at all."

"Well that's… weird," was all Mai managed to say.

Masako glared at Mai before trudging past her into the house.

_'What's her problem?'_ thought Mai, sighing as she followed Masako to where the rest of the team had already begun to set up base.

* * *

_Mai opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by a darkness so complete, it was as if she had never opened them. She looked around in an attempt to find where she was, but was unable to see anything. She knew she was dreaming and without thinking she looked around for the one who would guide her through her dream. She quickly realized, though, that she searched in vain. Gene had failed to appear in her dreams since he had been laid to rest. Her heart grew heavy at the thought of having to face another dream without him._

_Suddenly a light appeared and once her eyes adjusted she saw that she was standing in a small cavern_

_'This must be somewhere on the island,' she thought._

_The sound of footsteps echoed off the walls and Mai watched as a woman, carrying an old lantern, descended a flight of stones steps leading into the cavern. Behind the woman was a man, who silently followed her to a stone table in the middle of the cave._

_"Lay on that table," the woman instructed the man._

_The man, still silent, obeyed. Mai noticed that his eyes were glazed over, almost as if he were in a trance. She looked back at the woman who had walked off to a corner of the cave. She reached into a crevice in the wall and pulled out a small object. Mai gasped when she saw what the object was as the woman turned around. In her hands was a small dagger, the blade stained red… blood red. Mai quickly glanced back at the man now lying on the table. He didn't appear to have noticed the woman walking towards him with the dagger in her hand. As the woman neared the table, she began to chant in an unknown language. As she reached the table her chanting stopped and everything went quiet. Mai watched in horror as the woman slowly raised the dagger above her head._

_"NO!" screamed Mai, even though she knew the women couldn't hear her._

_All of a sudden the woman's hand dropped and the dagger pierced the man's chest, entering his heart and killing him instantly._

_Dead silence followed._

_After a moment, the woman began to draw blood from the man's now lifeless body._

_"With this sacrifice, the blood ritual is almost complete," she whispered._

* * *

Mai's eyes shot open as she sat up in her bed. She struggled to control her breathing as the images of what she just saw flashed through her mind.

"Mai, is everything okay?"

She looked up to see Ayako sitting up, looking at her with worry. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came forth.

"Did you have a dream?" asked Ayako.

Mai just nodded her head as she stared at her hands.

"Would you like me to get you so…" began Ayako before she was cut off by an ear piercing scream.

Mai looked at Ayako and Masako, who was now awake, before rushing out the door towards the sound of the scream, the other two following close behind.

* * *

The story is getting a bit more interesting. I'd love to know what you think!

R&R please...

Update soon (^_^)


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the delay in updating. I've had finals the past couple of weeks and on top of that I'm in the process of moving! D:

Anywho, after this week I should be able to update more often :D

So... on with the story!

"Make it stop!" cried Mai as she covered her ears.

The entire SPR team, including most of the villagers, were now gathered around what was determined to be the source of the scream. The sound had awoken the entire village and almost all had come out to investigate. Now the crowd stood around a large pool of blood at the entrance to the main building at the head of the village. The scream itself was emanating fromm the blood though no entity, physical or not, was detectable.

"Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!" chanted Bou-san in an attempt to silence the awful noise.

John was also reciting his prayers trying desperately to stop the screaming.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, the scream stopped, and the crowd was left in an eerie silence. The blood too had vanished, leaving no trace of it behind. All those present stared at the spot in confusion.

Finding the silence uncomfortable, Mai voiced her question.

"What just happened?"

"It appears the spirits have decided to make their presence known," answered Naru calmly.

"On the first night no less," added Bou-san as a look of worry crossed his face.

Mai shivered. She didn't like the way this case was starting out. She watched as Naru made his way over to Norio, who had been standing with the other villagers throughout the incident.

"Could you please tell me who lives in this house?" Naru asked as he gestured towards the building.

Norio gazed at the house for a moment before responding. When he finally spoke it was so quiet that Mai had to strain her ears to hear. "That house used to belong to the village elder…"

"Used to?"

"Yes. He… passed away… recently and no one has lived here since."

"I see. And how exactly _did_ he pass away?"

Norio sighed as he looked at Naru. "No one knows for sure. He disappeared about a week ago and not one person has seen or heard from him."

Naru just nodded and Mai could almost see the gears turning in his head as he cupped his chin in his hand.

"Let's get back to the base," he instructed. "The sun is almost up and it's time to begin our investigation."

The rest of the team followed in silence back to the base. The villagers had already dispersed and gone back to their homes, leaving the streets empty once again.

"Move it to your right a bit more. There that should do," Lin's voice sounded over the two way radio.

Mai moved away from the camera and turned to John. "Well, that's the last of them," she said.

"Shall we head back to base then?" he asked.

"Yep!" came the energetic reply. "I'm sure Naru will be wanting more tea," she added begrudgingly.

When they arrived back at base they found the rest of the team gathered around Naru who was holding a piece of old discolored paper.

"What's that?" Mai asked as she entered the room.

"It's a piece of paper Mai. Or are you blind?" Naru asked without even bothering to look up.

Mai's temper flared at the snide remark and she fought the urge to smack him across the face. Instead she took a deep breath to calm herself and replied, "For your information I am not blind. I was simply wondering what's got you all so fascinated about that paper."

Without a word, Naru handed Mai the paper. She gasped as she read the words scribbled in black ink:

_Drink the blood of one mortal and live today_

_Drink the blood of one hundred mortals and live forever_

_By the light of the full moon must the sacrifice be made_

_The one most willing is the one to be the last_

_Only then will the blood ritual be complete_

_And death shall be no more._

Something about that sounded familiar to Mai. She reread the words until she came to the second to last line. A voice floated through her head as she read.

_"With this sacrifice the blood ritual will be complete."_

_That's it!_ She thought. _The woman from my dream._

"Naru! The blood ritual, I had a dream about that!" exclaimed Mai.

"Why wasn't I informed of this earlier?" he asked while glaring at her.

Mai blushed slightly under his gaze and mumbled, "Well I only just remembered."

"Mai stop mumbling. I don't have use for an assistant that cant speak. Now tell me your dream."

Mai huffed as she gave him her best death glare, which had no affect what-so-ever, until she finally gave up and sat down to retell her dream.

After she had finished she asked, "So, do you think it has something to do with what's written on that piece of paper?"

"Well there must be some connection," stated Ayako. "I mean, they both refer to the blood ritual right?"

"I agree," sad Bou-san. "Mai, in your dream, that women said the ritual was almost complete, right?"

"Mhmm…" replied Mai.

"According to that paper, it takes one hundred sacrifices to complete the blood ritual," added John.

"Which means at the time of Mai's dream, it was almost complete. I'm curious as to how many sacrifices had already been made," wondered Ayako.

Masako, who had been silently observing, joined the conversation.

"I sense many spirits on this island, which indicates that many have already lost their lives for the sake of this ritual."

"Who would do that? Kill people, drink their blood, all for the idea of immortality?" questioned Mai.

Naru's voice sounded cold as he spoke, "You'd be surprised what people would do to gain even a glimpse of eternal life."

The base was quiet for a moment as everyone pondered over this new discovery.

Breaking the silence, Bou-san asked, "So… what should we do?"

"This paper was found in the village elder's home. Takigawa-san, Matsuzaki-san, I want you two to investigate the elder's home further and see if you can find anything useful. Hara-san, do another sweep through the village, see if you can get an idea of how many spirits there are. Brown-san please accompany her. Mai, Lin, and myself will stay here to conduct interviews with those that have reported incidents," instructed Naru.

Everyone nodded in agreement and they set off to do their assigned tasks.

After the others had left Naru turned to his assistants.

"Lin, go find those that have reported incidents and tell them to come here. Mai... tea."

Mai groaned as she got up from her seat and headed towards the small area used for a kitchen. She had to do things the old fashioned way, as there was no electricity. She stoked the fire in the hearth, which was in the center of the kitchen, and put the tea kettle over the top to heat the water. Once the water was boiling, she fixed three cups of tea and head back to base. When she arrived, she saw a long line of villagers outside the door. She sighed heavily as she entered the base.

_This is going to take a while. _She though, as the first villager enterd and began his tale. _Let the fun begin._

Reviews are welcome!

Update soon (^_^)


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey hey! So sorry I haven't updated in so long! D: It's been kind of busy around here lately. But I finally got another chapter up!_

_Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review! :D_

**xoxoxoxo**

Mai sat with her head in her hands, desperately trying to pay attention. It had been three hours already, yet the villagers continued to pour into the rom. Most of them had reported the sensation of being grabbed by their wrists or ankles, and the formation of small bruises. The occasional villager would have more extensive injuries such as a broken bone or large cuts, but it was always the same story. It would seem that almost every one of the villagers had experienced some kind of paranormal activity.

Sitting here listening, Mai could more closely examine the appearance of the villagers. They had darker skin then her, probably from spending so much time outside in the sun. They all had the same jet black hair, the men's cut short and the women's long, hanging freely down their backs. The clothing they wore was made out of grass and animal skins and they wore no shoes. As Mai took all this in she wondered absentmindedly how they would react to the culture she was brought up in.

Mai was brought out of her thoughts as the last villager entered the base. She noticed immediately that he was different. Like the others, he looked like he had seen a ghost. However, his eyes held the look of pure terror. The others had been frightened but this man, no boy, was utterly terrified. Mai perked up instantly at the fear emanating from him.

"My name is Akira," he said, and by the sound of his voice Mai concluded that he was about the same age as her and Naru.

"What is your story?" asked Naru, his expression calm but seemingly more attentive. It appeared that Naru also sensed that this one was different.

"Well, it was two days ago. I was outside the village gathering wood for the celebration coming up in a few days, when I heard a voice. It was a soft whisper, but I was drawn to it; my body seemed to react on it's own as I followed the sound. As I neared the source, the whisper became louder and I was able to make out some kind of chanting. It was a language I've never heard before and it was starting to make me nervous. I tried to turn around, somehow get away from the voice, but my body wouldn't respond. I finally stopped before the face of a tall rocky cliff where the chanting became so loud it drowned out any other noise. Suddenly something grabbed my ankle and the chanting abruptly stopped. I heard someone, or something, scream 'No!' as I felt my legs pulled out from under me. I was dragged down a hill and back into the woods until whatever it was that had my ankle let go. I didn't stick around long enough for anything to come back. I ran straight back to the village and haven't left since."

The silence that followed was overwhelming. Mai, whose jaw had dropped sometime during the story, closed her mouth and swallowed involuntarily. Naru however had his chin in his hand, processing what had just been said.

"The voice you heard, was it female?" he questioned.

"Yes. How did yo- ?" Akira responded, but before he could finish Naru cut him off.

"We have reason to believe the hauntings on this island are the result of a female spirit."

"So that voice I heard was that female spirit?" asked Akira.

"It's highly possible. You also said you were unable to move your body on your own?"

"Yeah, it was like I was in some kind of trance. Even now, the memory of it is somewhat blurry."

Mai was suddenly reminded of the man she had seen in her dream. He also had been in a trance-like state.

"I see. You mentioned some kind of celebration coming up, what is that exactly?"

This time Akira hesitated before answering. "It's not so much a celebration, more of a ritual I guess you could say."

"Ritual?" Mai asked, earning a glare from Naru.

"Yes, it is a day in which we honor the dead by burning a live sacrifice."

At his words, Mai's mouth fell open in shock.

Akira, seeing the look of Mai's face quickly continued. "It's not what you think! We don't use humans as sacrifices. We take an animal we find in the woods, usually a deer or a fox, and burn it in a large fire."

Mai breathed a sigh of relief. The thought of sacrificing animals wasn't appealing, but it was better than taking human lives.

"When is the celebration to take place?" Naru questioned.

"Two days from now. The burning will begin at midnight."

"I see. That will be all then," Naru said, dismissing Akira.

As soon as the boy was gone Mai turned to Naru.

"Naru, that voice Akira heard, do you think it's the same women from my dream?"

"It's very likely," stated Naru, who continued to stare at the spot Akira had previously occupied.

"What about the blood ritual?" asked Lin. "It requires a full moon and this celebration of theirs is in two days."

Mai was totally lost. "So... " She began.

This time Naru looked at her when he spoke. "Mai, in two days there will be a full moon."

Mai's eyes widened in shock as her mind registered what that meant.

"But, that means... "  
"That means we have two days until this so called blood ritual is to be complete," finished Naru.

"We're still not sure how many sacrifices are left. We need to be on our guard," Lin commented.

Naru nodded his head and looked at Mai as he spoke. "Nobody, and I mean _nobody_, is to be alone."

For once Mai had no objections.

**xoxoxoxo**

A sigh was heard in the quiet space of the elder's home.

"Would you stop doing that?" groaned Monk. "I don't like this arrangement any more than you do."

All he got for an answer was a muffled "hmpf" and another sigh from the red head.

Almost three hours had passed since they began their search in the village elder's home but neither Monk nor Ayako were having any luck.

"This is ridiculous! There's nothing here to find!" Ayako finally exclaimed. "We've been here for hours and there hasn't been a single clue that pertains to anything."

"Yeah, the only thing that's been found so far is that piece of paper we saw earlier. Perhaps it was pure coincidence that it was in this place," wondered Monk.

"Do you even think there's anything to this blood ritual deal? I think it's just an earth spirit."

"You say that every time, and you've only been right once."

A loud smack was heard, and Monk was suddenly rubbing the back of his head where Ayako had just wacked him.

"Ow! What was that for? I was only stating the truth!" cried Monk as he leaned against a piece of wood protruding from the wall behind him.

Ayako's hand immediately raised air for another swing but when it came down she hit nothing but air. Monk and the wooden panel had both fallen to the floor. Before either of them could register what had just happened a loud scratching sound was heard. The wall behind Monk groaned as an opening appeared, revealing a stone stairwell that funneled down into the darkness. The two looked at each other for a brief second before Monk got up off the floor and raised the handle back to it's original resting place, closing the space over the stairs.

"What should we do?" asked Ayako.

"I think we should tell Naru. He'll want to know about this right away."

Ayako nodded her head in agreement, and both her and Monk took off towards the base, eager to tell the others what they found.

**xoxoxoxo**

"It's the same as before," repeated Masako. "There are many spirits here."

Naru just nodded his head, thinking about all the evidence they've collected so far. Both John and Masako had arrived at the base only moments before, without any new developments.  
The door to the base suddenly shot open as Monk and Ayako, breathless from running, poured into the room.

"Naru... I think you better... have a look at this," said Monk in between breaths.

Without waiting for a response Monk walked out and headed back to the elder's home. The rest of the team followed, confusion etched on their faces. Monk stopped before the wooden panel and turned around, waiting for everyone to gather close. He then pushed the handle down and exposed the secret opening they had discovered moments before. There was a collective gasp as the members of SPR watched as the stairs appeared.

"Lin, grab the flashlights," directed Naru.

Lin nodded and left to get the flashlights while the rest of the team waited. When he returned, he handed the lights out to each person as they stood at the entrance.

"Let's go", said Naru as he began descending the stairs.

Mai involuntarily shivered as she and the rest of the team followed Naru into the darkness.

**xoxoxoxo**

_Update soon! (^_^)_


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry all for not updating sooner. I kind of lost where I was going with this story, but I think I've figured it out now so hopefully that means quicker updates until it's done .o

For anyone that is wondering: NO this is NOT another vampire story (I've have enough of vampires)!

Now that I've cleared that up... ENJOY! (:

**xoxoxoxo**

The beam of the flashlights reflected off the stony walls as Mai and the others continued down the stairs. The air was damp, the walls were wet with moisture, and a continuous dripping sound could be heard over the hushed footsteps echoing off the sides. As they neared the bottom, the stairwell widened, opening up into a small circular cavern. Mai recognized it instantly.

"This is the place from my dream," whispered Mai, not wanting to disturb anything that might be down here. But even her quiet whisper was loud enough for the rest of the team to hear it as it reverberated off the walls of the cavern.

As soon as she said the words, their flashlights formed a collective beam on the stone slab lying dead center in the cavern.

"That's…" breathed Mai as she walked towards the stone.

The rest of the team slowly filtered in behind her, trying to be as quiet as possible. Mai reached the stone and let the beam of her flashlight land on it's surface. A dark red color gleamed under the light. Mai sucked in her breath as she realized what it was...blood. As the rest of the team drew closer, the light revealed more of the surface. The entire stone was stained red with blood, and etched in the center was the same inscription on the piece of paper they had found earlier.

"This has to be where the sacrifices are made." whispered Mai.

"Yeah, it's almost like all the blood has soaked into the stone and turned it red," came Bou-san's whispered reply.

Eerie silence filled the room until Naru finally cleared is throat. "We should spread out and search the rest of the cavern."

The rest looked at each other before nodding and heading off in opposite directions. Mai decided to wander over to a corner of the cavern where she found the crevice in which was hidden the dagger the old woman had used in her dream. She tried shining her light inside but the opening was so small that she couldn't peer in and keep the light shining on it at the same time.

She was about to put her hand in to see if she could feel anything when her flashlight went out. Mai gasped and spun around just as the rest of the flashlights flickered and died, and they were plunged into darkness.

For a split second everything was silent.

Then Mai's ears exploded with a horrible sound not unlike nails being dragged across a chalkboard. She fumbled in the dark to cover her ears. Above the noise she could barely make out the others voices.

"What is going on?"

"We must have upset the spirits!"

"Maybe we should leave!"

"Okay mister genius, lead the way!"

"Everyone calm down!"

As Mai listened, their voices began to fade, almost as if they were getting farther and farther away, until they were gone completely. Even the horrible noise from before disappeared and Mai was left in silence once again. She tried to gain control of her staggered breathing.

She gasped as something brushed past her, but when she turned there was nothing there.

"W-Who's there?" she asked, her voice wavering.

At first her only answer was a rush of wind blowing past her.

Then she heard it.

Slow, ragged breathing came from behind her.

Mai's heart rate sped up as she took a deep, shaky breath and slowly turned around. When she did, her breathing stopped. There in front of her was the face of a man, ghostly pale with sunken eyes and a mouth set in a crooked smile, eerily similar to Urado. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out. She wanted to turn and run but she couldn't make her legs work.

She closed her eyes hoping this was all just a bad dream. Then she heard a whisper. She opened her eyes and saw that the man's face was still before her, only his lips were now moving. She suddenly had the urge to know what he was saying and leaned closer to listen.

"-lp ussss," came the soft whisper.

"What?" she asked it.

"Help ussss," it hissed again.

"Help you? How?"

A hand appeared in the darkness, as white as the face she was speaking with. Involuntarily, Mai took a step back but was stopped when two of the fingers stretched out and touched her forehead. Her vision was instantly filled with flashing images. She saw glimpses of all of the victims from the old woman's sacrifices, including the face of the man before her now. As she watched each sacrifice, she saw the spirits leave the bodies and float up, only to be stopped by some invisible ceiling, as if something was trapping them here.

One scene in particular stood out from the others. The scene became clearer and Mai's eyes widened when she recognized the woman before her. The old woman from her dreams was being hauled up a hill by angry looking villagers. She struggled in their grasp but she couldn't free herself. Her long white hair and dark robes billowed in the wind. Her face was echted in wrinkles and she looked older then ever before. On the top of the hill a thick wooden post protruded from the ground. The villagers tied the woman to the post and placed logs at her feet. One of the villagers stepped forward to speak.

"Kasumi Chiyo! You have violated the laws of our civilization! You have deliberately caused harm and ultimately the deaths of many of your own people. For that you must be punished!"

As he was still speaking, several villagers carrying torches moved closer towards Kasumi.

"Judgment has been passed down on you. For the lives you have destroyed, you shall burn!"

The instant he was done, the villagers threw their torches on the logs and they immediately flared up. Surprisingly Kasumi didn't scream or struggle. Instead, she hung limply from the post, her long hair covering her face. Then her shoulders began shaking and it was clearly visible that she was laughing. Soon she was laughing so loud her voice could be heard over crackling of the flames.

"Death cannot stop me!" she cried. "You will pay! You will all pay!"

She continued laughing as the flames grew higher and higher until finally she was consumed by them.

Mai's vision cleared and she was once again staring into the white glow of the man's face.

"Help usss," he said once more as Mai's eyes closed and she fell into the dark.

When she opened her eyes again, Mai was instantly aware of light coming from somewhere. As the blurriness faded she realized she was still in the cavern, and the flashlights were working again.

"Mai," said a voice beside her.

She looked to her left and saw Bou-san sitting next to her. She suddenly realized that she was lying on the ground.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We're not exactly sure," said Ayako from her other side. "The lights went out and there was this terrible noise. Then just a moment ago, they came back on and you were lying on the ground. Are you okay?"

Mai smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She looked away from Ayako's face and surveyed the cavern again. She inhaled sharply when she saw that the walls were covered in writing. She was about to ask what it said when Naru began speaking.

"Get out. Leave this place or die. It's as Norio-san said, the warnings, written in blood."

"Warnings," Mai muttered to herself. "That's it! Naru, the spirits are trying to warn us. They're trying to help us!"

Everyone turned to Mai with questioning looks on their faces, including Naru.

"Explain."

"Well I had a, a vision I guess. I saw the spirits from Kasumi's sacrifices being trapped here and-"

"Kasumi?" asked John.

"Yeah, that's her name. The woman from my dreams. She was sacrificing the villagers for her blood ritual. They caught her and burned her, but she said that death cannot stop her and they will pay. Naru I think her spirit is trapping the other spirits here."

"It's possible," he replied.

"Well, now we're getting somewhere," said Bou-san.

"Perhaps we should return to base so we can process this new information," suggested Lin.

Bou-san nodded vigorously. "I'm all for leaving the creepy cave."

"For once I agree with you," stated Ayako.

With that the team exited the cave and headed back to base.

**xoxoxoxo**

So, there you have it.

Review please! I love hearing from you!

Update soon (^_^)


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6 is up!_

_This hasn't been edited yet. It's late and I don't feel like doing it now xD I'll do it later though I promise._

_Anywho, without further ado... Enjoy!_

**xoxoxoxo**

Mai and the team spent the remainder of the day discussing what had transpired in the cave and attempting to put all the pieces together. So far they had concluded that they had just over forty-eight hours until the full moon, when the blood ritual was to be completed. They also agreed that Kasumi's spirit was the likely culprit. The biggest unknown factor that remained was determining how many sacrifices were left.

"Well it can't be too many right?" suggested Ayako. "I mean, they only have two days to do it. Doesn't give them very much time to commit ninety-plus murders."

"That and I don't think there's more than sixty people on the island, unless they're all hiding under rocks," said Bou-san.

"In any case," stated Naru, giving Bou-san a hard glare, "we need to take precautions. No one is to wader by themselves." At this his gaze fell briefly upon Mai then shifted to the others as he continued. "The fact that the incidents reported have been getting worse could indicate that Kasumi's spirit is getting desperate and may deviate from her usual tactics in order to fulfill this ritual. Lin I want you to call Osamu-san via the satellite radio and ask him to find out as much history as he can regarding this island and it's inhabitants. As for the rest of you, I suggest you turn in. Tomorrow could prove to be a long and difficult day."

None of them had any objections to this. Mai especially felt exhausted and was not looking forward to the following day which sounded as though it might turn out to be worse than the present one. She followed the others as they filed out of the room, got herself ready for bed, and promptly fell asleep.

**xoxoxoxo**

_She walked silently through the village, the starlight and moonlight guiding her path. She passed between the huts unnoticed, her bare feet barely disturbing the sandy pathways. She wondered again why she was out in the dead of night walking to a destination unknown to her. Just as these thoughts occurred however, she felt a tug in the back of her mind and she once again found herself wondering what she had been wondering about in the first place._

_She continued like this for several minutes, her feet seeming to lead her someplace only they knew about, and each time she questioned it she felt that tug in the back of her mind, erasing her thoughts. Soon she began hearing a soft whisper. It came from ahead, in the direction her legs were carrying her. She felt compelled to find the source of the voice, almost as if it were calling her, leading her forwards, drawing her in._

_She finally found herself face to face with a stone wall at the base of a rocky cliff. Here the voice, no longer a whisper but indecipherable chanting, seemed to be coming from the other side of the stone. She reached out to touch the stone, more determined then ever to find the owner of the voice. As soon as she made contact, a large portion of the stone shuffled off to the side revealing a doorway leading into the darkness. Without a moments hesitation she threw herself forward into the dark tunnel. Using her hands to guide her she felt her way deeper and deeper into the cliff, the chanting growing ever louder._

_After what seemed like hours, but in fact was only minutes, a dim light appeared ahead of her. She eagerly followed, sensing that she was close, very close. As the light grew brighter, however, she could make out not one voice, but two. The first voice, a woman's she could now tell, was the one chanting. The chanting though was being interrupted by the second voice, a man's voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Cognitive thoughts began trickling through her brain during these pauses and she tried to process what was being said._

_"I don't want to do this anymore," said he._

_"You will do this. You cannot escape me," hissed the woman._

_"No! I refuse to be a part of this massacre any longer!"_

_"Foolish boy! Know you're place!"_

_For a moment there was silence and then the chanting began anew, louder and stronger then before. All thought was once again wiped from her mind and she continued forward, entering a small cavern. Her legs continued moving until she was standing over a great stone slab. Mechanically, as if she had done this a thousand times, she laid herself down upon the stone and calmly folded her hands across her stomach. As she lay there, the chanteing grew louder until the voice seemed to be right next to her. Abruptly the chanting ceased and all was quiet. Then a soft whisper broke the silence._

_"Ninety-nine. One more and I shall live for all eternity."_

_Following these words, she sharp pain across her neck, and knew no more._

**xoxoxoxo**

Mai sat bolt upright in bed, clutching her throat and gasping for breath. Once she determined that she did not just have her throat slit she was able to calm her breathing. Glancing about the room she was relieved to find that the others hadn't awoken. Very quietly she got to her feet and slowly made her way to base. She found Naru, just as she had imagined she would, sitting and reading through the case file.

Work-a-holic, thought Mai as she entered the room.

"What are you doing here Mai?" he asked without even looking up. "You should be resting. A half-awake assistant won't be of any use to me."

Biting back the angry retort she was bursting to say, she instead sat down opposite him and continued to watch him. After minutes of silence he finally sighed and looked up at her. As she looked into his eyes she found herself becoming lost within their depths and a thought ran through her brain that she wouldn't mind doing this more often. She was brought back down to earth when Naru coughed and opened his mouth to speak.

Blushing a brilliant shade of pink, Mai cut in before he could say anything.

"Naru, I had another dream."

The boy closed his mouth, momentarily forgetting what he was about to say.

"What was it about?"

Mai dove into her retelling, careful not to miss any detail. She recalled all the whispers and chanting, and the second voice that was familiar but she couldn't quite place it. Naru, who listened intently all the way through, showed no emotion at all. Mai thought she saw his eyes tighten ever so slightly though, when she mentioned that she had seen it all through the eyes of the victim, but it was quite dim in the room and could very well have been a trick of the light.

Naru was silent for a long time after she had finished. Mai began to fidget in her seat and the movement seemed to bring Naru out of his thoughts. Finally he said, "You should try and get some more sleep. We can discuss this with the others in the morning." Then he turned his back on her and said nothing more.

Too tired to argue Mai hoisted herself up and dragged herself back to her bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and slept a deep, dreamless sleep. Mai awoke the next morning to find the sunlight streaming in through the window, Masako and Ayako were already gone. Looking at her watch, her eyes widened when she saw that it was ten o'clock. She jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed.

"Ah, here comes Sleeping Beauty," said Bou-san as Mai entered the room.

Looking around, she noticed that everyone seemed to have been up for a while now. Naru was once again reading over the case and his own notes. The others were spread throughout the base, the conversations they had been immersed in having been interrupted by Mai's arrival.

"Why didn't anyone wake me? It's past ten."

"We heard that you had another dream," replied Ayako. "We were told not to wake you."

Mai raised her eyebrows.

"You were told not to wake me?"

"Yeah," said John. "Naru told us about your dream and that you spent half the night retelling it to him. Told us to let you sleep, so we did."

Mai couldn't believe her ears. She looked over at Naru, expecting him to deny this, but he continued looking at his notes as though he couldn't hear the conversation taking place.

"So about this dream you had…" said Bou-san. And Mai recalled her dream for the rest of the team to hear. By the time she had finished, for she had been interrupted several times by the others, it was already early afternoon. The members of SPR were in heavy discussion about what it means to the case when there came a knock on the door. Lin left to answer it and moments later arrived at base followed by a harassed looking villager.

"My wife…" he began. "My wife has disappeared. She was with me last night but when I woke up this morning she was gone. I've looked everywhere for her but I couldn't find anything at all."

Suddenly all eyes were on Mai and she knew they were thinking the same thing she was: that this man's wife was the woman from her dream.

After some consoling by Ayako, the man left to continue his fruitless efforts of finding his wife. None of them had had the heart to tell him she was dead. This news seemed to have stirred a new fervor within the team to solve this case.

"If you're dream is correct Mai, then that man's wife was the ninety-ninth victim," said Naru. "Which means that only one more sacrifice needs to be made. Tomorrow at midnight. That gives us roughly thirty hours to finish this. Takigawa-san, Matsuzaki-san, and Brown-san, prepare yourselves for an exorcism. We will begin in a few hours. We ne-"

But whatever Naru was going to say they needed was cut off as a beeping noise permeated the room. All heads turned to the transceiver that they could communicate via satellite to the mainland. Lin picked it up and began talking to whoever was on the other side of the line.

"It's Osamu-san. He says he found something. Hold on, I'll put it so we all can hear."

Lin pushed a couple buttons on the transceiver and after a moment of static they heard Yasuhara Osamu's voice.

"Hey all!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I spent most of the day looking for any form of documentation about that island. There isn't a whole lot to be honest. Most of it is what you'll find in local tourist brochures, saying things about how the islanders have lived there for generations and is one of the few places left that is without modern technology. From what I can tell, none of the villagers themselves have ever left the island Get this though; about sixty years ago a young woman came ashore. She was one of the villagers and she seemed very keen to get off that island. It took me a while to track down but I got her name. It was Sakura Chiyo."

Mai gasped as she recognized the name.

"Then she's Kasumi Chiyo's daughter?" She exclaimed.

"Yes, that's correct," continued Yasu. "The reason I couldn't find her right away was because she had her name changed so instead of being listed under Sakura Chiyo, she was listed under Sakura Takumi. Well Sakura wasn't alone when she crossed to the mainland. She was pregnant with a son, a son named Norio Takumi. She died shortly after. Norio, upon finding he was originally from the island decided to return. He didn't stay long however before he was back on the mainland. He set up a small tourist business in which he would take those interested over to the island for so called 'tours'. However, people would go with him to the island and never return."

There was a long pause once Yasu had finished speaking.

"Wait a minute," said Bou-san. "You're implying that Norio-san is behind all this?"

"Looks that way doesn't it. I mean, wouldn't you notice if your tourists kept disappearing from under your nose unless you had something to do with it?" Ayako replied.

"Yeah," agreed Yasu. "And those I've talked to that know Norio say he's changed since he went to that island. Used to be a pleasant man but lately he's been rather vicious."

"Maybe Kasumi's spirit is possessing him," offered Mai. "Maybe that's why he's acting so strangely."

"It makes sense," stated Naru. "He comes to the island, Kasumi finds him, learns that he's her grandson, her blood relation, and then possesses him to do her bidding. It would make it easier for her to complete her blood ritual if she had a human body to work with."

"Very clever," said a voice from the doorway.

They all swung around to look at who had spoken. All except Mai, for she just realized to whom that second voice she heard in her dream belonged too. Slowly she turned around and saw the figure of Norio Takumi looming in the doorway. Suddenly the lights went out and everything was thrown into chaos. There was a lot of shouting and other muffled noises as people scrambled around the room. Mai could see shadows of people but couldn't make out who was who. She moved through the room, trying to find the others when something hard connected with the side of her head and everything became dark and quiet.

**xoxoxoxo**

_The story is almost done. Another chapter or two I think._

_Please review and tell me what you think!_

_Update soon! (^_^)_


	7. Chapter 7

_Here you go!_

_R&R Please! (:_

**xoxoxoxo**

_**"**__Mai," a familiar voice chimed in the dark._

_The girl opened her eyes, squinting through the dime light, in an attempt to find the source of that voice. Everything around her appeared blurry, like she was looking through a foggy lens. She spotted what appeared to be a figure standing some distance in front of her but she couldn't see it's face or any other identifiable features._

_"Mai," came the voice again, male from the sound of it. Something reeled in the back of her mind but she couldn't place it. Like her vision, her mind seemed foggy and she was unable to string thoughts together._

_"Listen to me Mai. You and the others are in danger. Help is on the way but you must be patient. Don't ever give up! Do you understand?"_

_Mai nodded blearily._

_"Good." Then the figure made its way towards her and knelt down so they came face to face. "It's time to wake up now. Be strong."_

_He placed a hand on her head and suddenly everything was thrown into sharp relief. Her eyes opened in shock as she caught sight of the figure in front of her before everything faded into black._

**xoxoxoxo**

Mai's eyes snapped open and she gasped for air as if she had just been strangled. Her mind was racing from the dream she just had. Unfortunately she didn't have time to dwell on it as a throbbing pain shot threw her head. She tried to bring her hand up to her head but found that she couldn't move it. She became painfully aware then, that she was lying flat on her back and all her limbs were strapped down to prevent movement. She could still move her neck however, and despite the protesting pain she lifted her head only to find herself in the very cave she had occupied the previous day. Only then did she realize what she was strapped to: the stone slab in the center of the room. Fear and panic flooded through her as she began to struggle feebly against her restraints.

"It's no use. You cannot escape," came an eerily familiar voice.

Mai looked to her right and found Norio standing there watching her pathetic attempts to break free.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Mai, her voice laced with fear.

"I thought it would be obvious."

Mai just stared at the man.

"Eternal life you silly girl. To live forever and escape the hands of death for all eternity! Don't you see? Once I have obtained this, nothing will be able to stop me. Not my foolish grandson here, nor your team of so called 'ghost hunters'. I will be free to claim my place on this forsaken island that I was denied years ago by those ignorant villagers!"

As Mai listened, she saw a change come over Norio's eyes. What once was chocolate brown became a deep shade of red that almost glowed in the dim light of the cavern.

_She_ is _possessing him_, thought Mai. _Kasumi is possessing Norio so she can complete her blood ritual._

"How? How can you just kill innocent people? How can you sacrifice human lives for the sake of immortality?"

"I will do anything to obtain eternal life. That has been my one true goal all these years, to live forever, and anyone standing in my way, innocent humans they may be, will suffer the consequences!" And then the woman possessing Norio began laughing manically.

Mai could only stare in shock, eyes wide with fear.

"Now then," continued Kasumi once her laughter had ceased. "It is time to begin preparations for the final sacrifice."

At this a jolt went through Mai like an electric shock. _I'm the last sacrifice!_ I'm _the last sacrifice!_ She repeated over and over in her head as if saying it so many times would make it untrue.

"I see you have finally realized your purpose here," said Kasumi. "However, there is one thing that must be done before I can make you my last sacrifice. You see, the final sacrifice has to be made willingly. For that I have chosen you!"

The girl thought Kasumi had lost her mind, which perhaps she had, if the woman was convinced that she would willingly become her sacrifice.

"What do you mean? I'm not a willing sacrifice! There's no way I'd let myself die for your selfish gain!"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," said Kasumi in a dangerous voice as Norio's mouth turned up in an evil smirk.

Norio turned towards a computer screen Mai had failed to notice earlier, but she recognized it as one of those from the base. She waited as the screen came to life and what she saw made her gasp in horror. The images of Lin, Naru, Ayako, Bou-san, John, and Masako all trapped in a cage that dangled precariously from the top of the cliff assaulted Mai's vision and all she could do was watch helplessly. Norio must have taken one of the camera's as well and set it up facing the others in the cage.

"Why are you doing this?" screamed Mai, tears running down her cheeks. "Leave them alone! Don't hurt them!"

"You can save them. Do exactly as I say without resisting and your friends shall live. Once I am immortal I shall even grant them safe passage off this island. All you have to do is _obey_."

Mai made her decision in an instant. She couldn't, _wouldn't_ let her friends die. She looked at Kasumi's eyes through Norio and nodded. An evil grin spread across his face as Kasumi spoke.

"A wise decision child. Now my blood ritual can finally be completed. By the light of the full moon this night, I shall be made immortal!" Then she began to chant.

Mai laid her head back against the stone. The minute the chanting had begun her mind became befuddled and nothing seemed to make sense anymore. She continued to lay there, only vaguely aware of what was happening.

Abruptly the chanting stopped and Mai could think clearly again. She turned to look at Kasumi and saw Norio bent over holding his head in his hands.

"You foolish boy!" She heard Kasumi yell in a strained voice. "I thought I told you to stay out of this!"

"You… I won't let you… do this anymore!" Norio's voice sounded as he struggled against Kasumi.

As Mai watched them struggle something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned her head and was looking at the computer screen again. Her eyes widened at what she saw. She looked back at Norio and Kasumi to see if they had noticed, but they were still fighting each other for possession of the body. Mai looked back at the screen and saw, not just the rest of the SPR team but many other figures standing beside the cage. These figures were transparent and ghostly looking and Mai knew that they were the spirits of Kasumi's victims. She continued to watch as the spirits helped the others get out of the cage. Then she remembered her dream, and the promise of help that was made. She almost started smiling until something blocked her vision of the screen. Norio had started moving towards her again and she started to panic, trying yet again to break free from her restraints. The man knelt down beside the stone and reached up for one of her arms. Cringing at the touch, she began to struggle even harder.

"Stop," said Norio, with no trace of his grandmother in it. "Listen to me. I'm going to untie these restraints, then you must get out of here as quickly as possible. Do you understand? I can't hold her off for much longer!"

Mai, mouth open, could only nod in response as Norio began to undo her restraints. Soon he had one arm and both her legs free. He began working on her left arm when the change happened.

"No!" yelled Norio, as his body started shaking. An angry, high pitched scream filled the cavern and the next thing Mai knew, she was looking back into the eyes of Kasumi.

"It's time to finish this," she said, seething in anger.

She pulled out her dagger from under Norio's clothes and walked purposefully towards the girl. Mai could see a fierce determination behind the woman's eyes and she tried desperately to get her last restraint off. Unfortunately it wasn't something she could do with only one hand free.

The next moments seemed to happen all at once. Mai was aware of many voices coming from the stairway leading into the cavern. She glanced over and saw the SPR team and the other spirits come crashing into the cavern. Then a terrible scream pierced the air and Mai whipped her head around in time to see Kasumi's raised dagger come flying down at her. On instinct she brought her free arm up and closed her eyes. Mai screamed as pain shot through her forearm. She opened her eyes to find her arm covered in blood. Then she heard a whistle and Lin's shiki came flying over her head, flying straight into Norio. She watched as Kasumi's spirit was forced from Norio's body. Norio collapsed on the floor, but the instant that Kasumi's spirit was free of his body the spirits of her victims converged on her.

"No! No, NO!" screamed the woman's spirit.

Then through all of the chaos came Naru's voice.

"Brown-san, Takigawa-san, an exorcism now!"

"Right!" came Bou-san's reply as he began his chant.

John also started reciting his prayer.

"No! I will not be destroyed! I will live forever!" Kasumi shouted.

But it was no use, the exorcisms were too much for her and with a final, terrifying scream she disappeared. The other spirits only lingered a second longer before they too disappeared, finally able to move on.

Several seconds of silence followed. Mai was the first one to speak.

"Is she finally gone?" she asked in a weak voice.

"Yes, she's gone," came Naru's reply. "Mai, are you alright?"

Relief flooded through Mai as she lay back down on the stone slab. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"Let's have a look at your arm," Ayako said softly as she made her way over. She examined Mai's arm carefully. "Ah, it's not so bad. It's not too deep of a cut. I'm more worried about that bump on your head. Let's get you out of here so we can fix you up."

Bou-san came over and undid her last restraint then picked Mai up, despite her protests, and carried her out of the cavern. The rest of the team followed, glad to leave this cavern once and for all.

**xoxoxoxo**

_There will be an epilogue so be patient!_

_Update soon! (^_^)_


	8. Chapter 8

_Well here you are folks! The last chappie of VOTD :D_

_I want to thank all those who stuck with this story even through my long periods of not updating (I'll work on that!) and a special thanks to those who reviewed! Your reviews inspired me to continue writing this story!_

_So now, without further ado, I present the final chapter!_

_Enjoy, and don't forget to review! (:_

**xoxoxoxo**

Everyone sat quietly as Ayako wrapped bandages around Mai's head and arm. As soon as she was done the air exploded with questions. Mai, head throbbing painfully, cringed at the noise and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Quiet," came a soft voice.

The questions stopped at once and Mai opened her eyes to find Naru staring back at her. She blushed slightly and averted her eyes, but not before catching the look Naru was giving her. His eyes were softer than usual and he seemed almost… concerned? Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to dwell on it before he spoke again.

"Mai, I know you're exhausted but I need you to tell us what happened to you after the lights went out."

Mai nodded her head and began telling the others what had happened. She recounted everything the way she remembered it, everything but her dream. She needed to talk to Naru about that one alone.

"And then you guys and the spirits came in and well… you know the rest," she finished.

"Talk about cutting it close," said Bou-san. "A few seconds later and you'd have been…" He made a slicing motion across his throat with his hand, earning him a jab in the ribs by Ayako.

"Well it's over now," said the priestess.

"You were right about the spirits being on our side though," chimed in John. "They helped us escape from that horrible cage and rescue you."

"Well friendly spirits or not I'll be glad to get off this island for good," Bou-san commented.

"Then it's a good thing I've come to rescue you, my handsome prince," said a voice from the doorway.

Everyone turned to see Yasuhara standing there, a silly grin on his face and eyes flashing mischievously behind his glasses.

"On second thought, maybe I'll stay...," mumbled Bou-san as he hid behind Ayako.

Everyone laughed at that, even Naru gave a little smirk, and the tension in the room that nobody seemed to have noticed lightened considerably.

**xoxoxoxo**

"Well I think that's the last of it," said Bou-san as he loaded the last of the equipment onto the boat.

The team had decided that they wanted to leave the island sooner rather than later, so they packed up almost immediately. Yasuhara, after he heard what had happened over the satellite radio, took the first boat he could find to the island intending to help. Obviously he was a little late, but the boat he used saved them the trouble of finding another one.

Norio-san, who had recovered somewhat from his possession, elected to remain on the island in an effort to repay the villagers for all the damage caused by his grandmother's spirit. The team had found out that Norio was possessed when he first asked them for help. Kasumi had wanted the spirit of her victims eradicated so they couldn't foil her plans anymore. The rest of the village was trying to cope with the losses but were very grateful to finally be rid of Kasumi's spirit.

"Thank you for all you have done for me and this village," Norio-san addressed the entire team. "I am truly sorry for any harm that I have caused," this time addressing Mai.

Mai felt sorry for the man. He looked genuinely distressed at what he had done.

"It's alright, Norio-san," she said and gave him one of her award winning smiles.

He gave her a grateful smile in return and said, "Thank you Taniyama-san." Then he turned to the others and said, "Thank you once again for your help. I wish you all the best."

The rest of the team murmured their replies as they turned and boarded the boat. Soon they were speeding away from the small island, back towards the mainland.

Mai stood silently at the bow, listening to the others talk amongst themselves. She looked through her friends and noticed that one was missing. She walked to the back of the boat and found Naru, arms crossed, gazing back at the diminishing island. She paused for a moment, taking in Naru's calm façade, his hair ruffled slightly by the breeze. A slight bump of the boat brought her back to her senses and she continued forward until she stood next to him by the rail. They stood quietly for several moments before Mai worked up the nerve to speak.

_Now is as good a time as any to tell him,_ she thought.

"Ne, Naru...?" She began hesitantly.

He just continued to look out over the water as she fumbled for the right words.

"It's Gene," she decided on blunt.

Naru visibly stiffened at the name of his dead twin, but continued to remain silent.

"He's back…"

**xoxoxoxo**

_Yes there will be a sequel so stay tuned!_

_Thank you for reading VOTD! ^_^_


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